Tech giants may be forced to reveal documents

By Asher Moses

TECHNOLOGY giants Apple, Microsoft and Adobe could be forced to hand over internal documents to a federal parliamentary inquiry after refusing to appear at hearings this week.

As hearings into the pricing of IT software and hardware resume in Canberra today, committee member and Labor MP Ed Husic ramped up his attack on the computer companies, saying they had ''treated the Parliament with contempt''.

A parliamentary committee will ask to subpoena documents from Apple, Microsoft and Adobe.

He said he would ask the committee to subpoena documents exchanged between the three companies and the Australian Information Industry Association, which has appeared before the inquiry on their behalf. ''It will certainly include emails and any information that was exchanged,'' Mr Husic said.

''Given the failure to co-operate, and since the major players are hiding behind their own industry association, I think we do need to see the documents exchanged between [the association], Microsoft, Apple, Adobe and whoever helped prepare the [association's] submission to the IT inquiry.''

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Consumer group Choice told earlier hearings that Australians paid more than 50 per cent above US prices for music downloads, games computer hardware and other products.

Committee chairman Nick Champion said members were frustrated at the companies' refusal to appear at hearings. He said the industry association declined to answer company-specific questions.

The committee has twice written to the companies asking them to appear. Mr Husic said he would argue the companies should also be compelled to appear.

Mr Champion said he did not want to pre-empt the committee's position, but added: ''Obviously it's an issue of concern, we want to be able to gather the maximum amount of evidence when we're examining this issue.''

The Department of the House of Representatives confirmed that the committee would have the power to summons documents and witnesses and that disobeying any summons could result in penalties.

Microsoft and Adobe provided submissions to the inquiry. Apple demanded that its submission be kept confidential. Apple, Microsoft, Adobe and the industry association declined to comment.

Asher Moses is the Technology Editor for Fairfax Media. He started his own gadget review website more than a decade ago at age 14 and has since written for most of Australia's leading technology publications. He has twice been named Young Australian Online Journalist of the Year by the Walkley Foundation.